


Eyes That Know Me, Blinking Slowly

by Freedom_Shamrock



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Acts Like a Cat, Chat Noir Acts Like a Cat, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Acts Like a Bug, Pining, Reveal, Roofied Adrien (catnip), Silly, Support, catnip, hints of darkness, kwami tendencies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-11 02:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12925689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: Adrien has become accustomed to the cat-like tendencies Plagg has inflicted upon him, but a new one crops up during a serious conversation with his kwami.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by [alouette-lulu](http://alouette-lulu.tumblr.com/)'s adorable [Adrien & Plagg](http://alouette-lulu.tumblr.com/post/168185962122/plagg-is-being-cute-for-once-and-adrien-has-cat) art.

"I'm worried about you, kid," Plagg said as he settled into the indent in his soft pillow.

 "It's just a bit of self-directed study," Adrien insisted as he logged the latest akuma into his database. Since learning how to run analytics, he'd been recording everything he could in the hope it would lead them to Hawk Moth. Chat had made a special visit to Alya when he had informational gaps from past attacks, and she'd been incredibly helpful.

 "Hmph," Plagg grumbled. "It would be better if someone else did that. Ask Turtle Boy to give it a go. You have enough on your plate."

 "So does he," Adrien pointed out. He'd gladly taken on the mantle of Chat Noir, but he was pretty sure he would have declined if it had involved becoming the Guardain's apprentice. There was so much to study, so much lore to acquire, and the responsibility went beyond merely protecting people and his own miraculous. "He's my age, and he has Guardian studies on top of school and akuma attacks."

 Plagg let out a tiny sniff. "He can handle it. He wouldn't have been chosen, otherwise."

 It was unusual for Plagg to care enough to argue against one of Adrien's pursuits, unless it involved excessive time transformed or potentially delayed cheese deliveries. "What's really bothering you about this?" he asked, tipping his head back so he could meet his kwami's eyes.

 The tiny black cat looked away. "I can't tell you who Hawk Moth is, just like I can't tell you who Ladybug or Turtle Boy are. They have to reveal themselves before the magic will let me speak."

 Plagg liked to tease and play, it wasn't in his nature to be so forthcoming. That he was, suggested this was one of the few times he was fully serious. "Do you know who it is?" Adrien asked quietly.

 Plagg shook his head. "No, but I have theories."

 "Which you can't share," Adrien prompted.

 "Exactly." Plagg scowled at his front paws. "I worry what it will do to you, how much it will hurt, if I'm right."

 The realization hit Adrien suddenly. "You're afraid I'll be akumatized. That I'll end up on the wrong side before this is over."

 Plagg wilted into his pillow, his silence all the confirmation Adrien needed.

Well that wasn't worrisome or anything. He turned back to his monitor and thought for a moment. "The Guardian, Master Fu, told me that we have the choice to accept or refuse an akuma when Hawk Moth sends us one. That he can't actually force it on anyone."

 "True," Plagg agreed. "But he targets those who are in a state where they're likely to accept."

 Adrien nodded. "I won't. Not ever," he insisted twisting to face his kwami and leaning on his backrest. "I can't imagine ever doing that to you, buddy. Even if he got the ring, I fight for my Lady and for you. I promise."

 Plagg stared at him, his luminous green eyes seeming larger and softer than normal. Regular kitten eyes had nothing on the demigod of destruction's take on the look.

 "Come on Plagg," he cajoled. "You trust me, right?"

 Plagg's eyelids slowly closed, obviously squinching tightly for a moment before slowly opening again.

Adrien felt his own eyes go wide before copying the slow blink. He found his gaze briefly trapped by his kwami's before the tiny cat closed his eyes and curled into a tight ball. While he was twisting back to his monitor Adrien froze. Why did he do that, and what the hell was it?

* * *

 Chat Noir bounded from one rooftop to the next, crossing streets from four stories up with the ease of a cat running a familiar chase.

 It hadn't started with the purring. No, that was just when his denial died an embarrassing death in front of the love of his life. Up until then he'd managed to keep the increasingly catlike tendencies from being apparent, a feat complicated by the fact that they seemed to be autonomic responses. He had no control over the purring, the nuzzling, the stupid need to rub up against things.

 It had started during their first face off with Stone Heart. When he transformed, he'd felt very much like a boy in a costume suddenly granted superpowers. Which, to be fair, was an accurate assessment. He was more bold than golden child and Gabriel heir Adrien Agreste, but nothing had truly changed. Watching Alya's old footage a few nights back, he was pretty sure he could see the exact moment he'd really **become** Chat Noir. The moment when his kwami's nature first took hold of him.

Cataclysm.

After his first use of his ultimate, his running style changed. Sure, he still went upright on two legs a lot of the time. But when clambering over rooftops, climbing buildings, or scaling extra large akumas, he dropped to all fours and moved like a cat. Long-term exposure to the miraculous or Plagg, or the frequent use of Cataclysm more firmly linked him to the cat-like nature of his miraculous. He calculated he'd called on Cataclysm 332 times in the last three and a half years. It provided plenty of opportunity for the cat to take hold.

He smoothly switched from cat-lope to personal catapult as he left the higher buildings in his approach of the Eiffel Tower, where he and Ladybug were meeting up tonight. Because nights tended to be pretty quiet, they'd settled into a pattern of training twice a week and getting together for superhero klatch every other week. Neither of them wanted too much caffeine this late, so they usually had dessert and tea or cocoa. Ladybug was on beverage duty tonight, while he brought pastries he'd picked up from Marinette's parents' patisserie after school. The team mates they'd picked up a year into fighting Hawk Moth had training rotations with them and with each other. But they didn't tend to interfere with this special time between Paris' original superheroes.

"Evening Chaton," Ladybug called, leaning over and waving to him in a way that would have been terrifying had she been anyone else.

"And a very fine evening it is," he agreed. "But any evening I get to spend with my fair lady is beyond compare." He felt the purr trying to push its way out of his chest, and he stubbornly tamped down on it. Sure, she'd pull it out of him later, but he wanted to make her work for it.

Ladybug shook her head, smiling. "Of course it is." She tossed up her bandalore and swung to a beam they favored. Two insulated cups peeked out from a black insulated bag she favored for these meetings. "I know it's not really the season for it yet," she said, "but I brought cocoa."

 Dammit. He pounded twice against his chest with the top of his fist, but it was too late. The low rumble couldn't be mistaken or hidden.

 She beamed at him. "I take it you approve."

 He shrugged. "Can't hide that from you. Don't know why I bother trying."

 Her laughter rang out, filling him with joy. "Me either, Chaton. You know I love your purr."

 "It's not exactly convenient," he pointed out, settling down beside her, and taking the cup she offered. "Sure it's stronger when I'm suited up, but I've caught myself doing it when I'm civie me. How am I supposed to explain that to my friends? My family?" So far he'd been lucky that photo shoots and fashion shows weren't upsetting enough or fun enough to trigger the reflex. Nino thought he was humming, when he caught it. As the black cat, he couldn't rely on luck. "I'm already a socially awkward weirdo. I don't need more quirks."

 "Sorry Kitty," she said, patting his shoulder. "Tikki told me that the more cat traits you pick up, the better Chat Noir you are. I guess it means you and Plagg are much more compatible, and work better together." She sighed. "And I get that it's tough to explain, but at least it's not gross."

 He raised an eyebrow, intrigued that she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Spill, Bug. What gross thing does Tikki have you doing?"

She set aside her cup and covered her face with both hands. "Don't make me. It's so embarrassing."

He laughed. "Oh? And my needy kitty bit isn't? You saw what happens when I get exposed to catnip," he pointed out. His memory of the event was fuzzy, but thanks to Alya the Ladyblog had a high quality video featuring his blown pupils, excessive giggling, and his attempts to roll all over his spotted partner.

 "I've recently developed a taste for bugs," she blurted, still hiding her face. "Cricket lollipops are a favorite."

 Chat slapped a hand over his mouth as he stared at her.

 Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and dropped her hands, meeting his wide eyes. "I was in a flower shop the other day, and they had… a minor aphid infestation. I managed to lick them off the stems of three carnations before I realized what I was doing." She bit her lip. "I can **never** go back to that shop again."

 "I'm so relieved," he said, finally letting out his laughter. "I've apparently picked up another cat trait."

 "Surprise!" She giggled. "Is it better or worse than purring?"

 "Easier to hide," he admitted. "But equally weird."

 "Am I going to have to Google cat behavior and guess?" she asked, smirking at him as she flipped open her yo-yo and waved it at him.

 He shook his head. "Depending on the source, it's cat for I love you or I trust you."

 She stared at him, her eyes wide, and the cutest grin on her face.

 Without fully meaning to, he slow blinked at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up about twice as long as I'd planned, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to the catnip scene mentioned in chapter one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is #24 in my ML WIP-Completion Challenge.

Chat Noir arrived at the akuma site after Ladybug had already engaged the enraged woman going by the name Botanatrix. She could obviously zap inanimate objects turning them into trees or causing them to sprout vines that zipped up their sides enclosing whole buildings and buses in a kudzu jungle.

"Wow," he said, dropping beside Ladybug behind a billboard. "She works fast."

"She really does," Ladybug agreed. "And while I've figured out her ability, I'm still stumped on the akumatized object."

"Hmm. Not good to get too close to an akuma with wild ranged attacks unless we have a plan," he muttered. "Want me to go play distracto-cat so you can study her further?"

Ladybug watched a few more moments before nodding. "Yeah. I think we have to go for that option. Carapace messaged that he'd be here soon, too, so hopefully we'll have some back-up by the time we need it."

Chat bounded off. "Excuse me!" he called. "While I like the jungle as much as any cat, I'm just not digging this remodel of Paris."

"Chat Noir!" the woman roared, which felt out of place and absurd given that she was plant-based. "Give me your miraculous!"

"How about… no?" Chat suggested, dodging the spray that shot out of her watering can. He hadn't seen what happened when she hit **people** with her power, and he didn't want to find out up-close and in person. Again. That pretty much always sucked.

"I have a special little something just for you, Kitty," she taunted.

Chat rolled his eyes. "That nickname is for Ladybug only. Not random Parisians, akumas, or Hawk Moth." He scrambled up the side of a building, pushing off in a huge arc with a back-flip. "Anyone else gets my immediate hissaproval."

He was vaguely aware that Carapace had arrived, and now all three heroes were engaged in the fight. In a moment of poor timing and phenomenally bad luck, Chat and Carapace's shield collided in mid-air. They really needed to train together more to prevent these mishaps. He landed in a heap, and before he could get back up, he felt the cold splash from the akuma's watering can.

"Chat! No!" He heard Ladybug cry out. She hated him getting hit by evil powers almost as much as he did.

"Good luck getting his help **now**." The akuma cackled before dashing away to cause more mayhem.

He'd made it to his knees by the time Ladybug and Carapace reached him. "I'm fine, my Laby," he insisted, watching little green plants fall out of his hair and onto his lap. They were in clumps and the leaves were small with gentle serrations. To his cat enhanced nose, they smelled slightly minty, and he wondered if they were from the same family. He should probably get up, but just couldn't bring himself to do so. He felt comfortable and oddly sluggish.

"Chat, speak to me," Ladybug said, catching his chin and directing his gaze at her.

He beamed at her. She was so pretty, and the sun was shining behind her. She was practically an angel with a golden halo. He felt his damnable purr kick in, and didn't bother masking it; it wasn't like she'd never heard it before.

"Dude, you okay?" Carapace asked.

"What even is this stuff?" Ladybug asked, brushing it off his shoulders and ruffling his hair to send the plants flying.

"Hmmmm," Chat murmured, leaning into her hand. "Smells good."

"Oh crap," Carapace muttered. "Does he react to catnip?"

"No?" Ladybug said uncertainly. "Well… he hasn't. But… I don't think he's actually been hit by it before."

Chat's face was turned toward the newer hero, but he resisted with a small whine. He wanted to look at his Lady. She was glorious. She smelled heavenly. He tilted toward her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Carapace said, resigned. "He's been Chat Noir long enough that he's got a pretty strong cat side, and this… it's definitely catnip."

"Oh god," Ladybug groaned. "Kitty how do you feel?"

"Floaty." He sighed and let himself tip fully onto her, delighted when he felt her arms around him. "Happy." He nuzzled her neck, grinning when that made her squeal, because he could tell it wasn't a bad squeal. He'd heard that noise in the past. "You smell nice Milaby," he murmured. "Sssoooo nice."

"Uh… you may want to discourage that," Carapace said quietly. "There's reporters here and he's blitzed. It's not fair to him."

"Kitty, we need to move you someplace safer while Carapace and I handle this akuma, okay?" she suggested, one hand rubbing his back.

He lost track of time for a bit, and the next thing he was fully aware of was that he was lying sprawled out in the grass under a tree in a park.

"You okay there, Kitty?" Ladybug called, dropping down beside him. She looked worried and that was never a good sign.

"Shit," he muttered. "What did I do? Was it awful?"

She quickly shook her head, but there was a hint of pink in her cheeks and he suspected she was just humoring him. "No. Not awful."

"It wasn't something you'd mind doing, I think," Carapace said in a careful voice. "But you'd probably prefer not to do it in public."

That didn't reassure him at all, and his face must have shown that.

"I promise, it's okay," Ladybug insisted.

"I'll go try to catch the Ladyblogger before she posts that video," Carapace offered. "Assuming she wasn't live-streaming, anyway."

"Oh fuck," Ladybug whispered.

Chat flinched. "What. Did. I. Do?" he demanded, completely freaked out now.

"Can you meet me on Notre Dame in fifteen minutes?" Ladybug asked. "I need to go recharge."

* * *

Chat Noir had curled in on himself as he watched the replay of Alya's livestream. Given that it had been live, there wasn't much point in having her pull the video. The Chat in the video had lost all understanding of decorum and personal boundaries. With the new camera she'd gotten for her last birthday, Alya had been able to zoom in and capture his wide blown pupils, giving him an oddly stupid yet constant kitten-eyed look. The distance and general chaos prevented her from picking up his purring and the conversation between the heroes.

"Oh my god," he moaned as he watched himself rub his cheek against hers, then against her neck.

"You didn't hurt me, Kitty," Ladybug insisted, rubbing his back. "Carapace said this was all normal cat stuff."

"I fucking scent marked you." His gloves dragged down his face as he forced himself to watch the rest of his shame unfold.

"It was kind of cute," she offered tentatively.

He shot her a glare. "I put a claim on you. Physically. Without your consent." This was so messed up.

"You're a cuddly kitty," she said. "And you weren't in your right mind. It's forgiven."

That should have warned him about what came next, but he was too horrified to properly process. He was treated to footage of himself attempting a full body rub against her, but he clearly lacked the balance necessary to wind around her. So his catnip-addled brain clearly felt that rolling all over her would be a good plan. He let out an involuntary hiss, flinching, but forcing himself to watch until Ladybug was able to scoop him up and zip away, trailed by Carapace.

"You seemed pretty out of it by that point, and we left you in a shielded area in an empty park," she explained, tucking away her yo-yo. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm **not** okay," he insisted. "I'm not sure I'll **ever** be okay after watching **that**." Before he could dissolve in a rant about how messed up his behavior had been, he felt her arms wrap around him.

"Oh, Kitty," she whispered sadly. "This wasn't your doing, your fault. It's more like when a girl gets roofied at a bar. You're a victim here, and it's okay to feel gross and awful." Her hand slipped into his hair, scratching at his scalp in a way they'd discovered calmed him. "If you need some time to deal with this, that's okay. But please know I'm here for you, and if there's anything I can do to help you through it, **please** tell me. I'm not you, and I can't just know what will help, and I don't want to make things worse by assuming."

"Could…" he broke off feeling awful about asking, though he was sure she'd meant it. "Could you just hold me a little longer?" He hated how fragile his voice sounded.

"I'd be happy to." She squeezed him gently. "Anytime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given the modifications to the plot of one story, I'm down to three more to wrap this project up, including one more chapter in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more fun with those cat senses...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ML WIP-Completion Project #27.

Adrien had just settled in at his desk when he noticed it. He'd been a little tense, as was usually the case first thing in the morning, but suddenly it faded and he felt relaxed and safe. In his time as Chat Noir, he'd learned that even his human nose picked up scents generally undetectable to humans. It had been a gradual shift, and he often couldn't place the exact smells or where they were coming from. They were marked in his human life by sudden emotional changes that he couldn't explain, a spike in anxiety out of nowhere had become his most common cue that there was an akuma nearby. As Chat, he could smell the magic of akumatization on someone. It was a nice change to learn some smells had more pleasant associations, even if he couldn't quite catalog them.

"Good morning Adrien," Marinette said, taking her seat beside him. "You look tired."

He appreciated her sympathy, though he didn't fully deserve it. He was tired by his own doing. He'd chosen to stay out just a bit longer with Ladybug last night. "Yeah, not quite enough sleep."

"Are you going home for lunch?" she asked.

Adrien shook his head. "Naah. No point. No one's there."

An adorable frown marred her features. "How about you come to my place. You can have a nap someplace more comfortable than that alcove in the library."

A laugh bubbled up unexpectedly. "That was **one** time," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Three, actually," she pointed out. "And those are just the times I **caught** you."

* * *

"You okay, Kitty?" Ladybug asked, leaning forward and raising herself up on her toes to peer into his face.

He tried to look away, but her hand on his cheek stopped him.

"Oh, Kitty." Her voice was so sad, but so comforting all at the same time. "Who do I need to beat up?"

He shook his head slowly. "I had a fight with my father. And it would be best if you don't beat him up. I love him, even if he makes me so mad."

She nodded, lifting her hand from his face to take his hand. "Is there anything I can do that would help."

Their relationship had always been tactile, part of the reason the media had such a tough time defining what they saw. But in recent months, even before the incident with Botanatrix's catnip, they'd grown closer. "I'd love a cuddle, if it's not too much trouble." Why was it so hard to ask for help? For what he needed?

Ladybug nodded. "Should we head over to the Arc de Triomphe?" she asked. It was a little less visible to Parisians and had good space for sprawling.

After a few hops away from their meet up location, he found himself lounging in her lap, his face nestled into her neck. His purr was in overdrive as one of her hands worked its way through his hair and the other slid over his back, up and down.

"Kitty's motor has picked up steam," she teased gently. "And don't you **dare** try to hold it back," she demanded. "It's a soothing sound and it lets me know how you're doing."

He relaxed against her, letting his Plagg-influenced nature take hold of him. He only ever let go of his control when she was there to rein him in if it became necessary. After a while, he realized he was nuzzling her neck with his face, and he wanted to do more. "Stop, bug." Though he'd spoken softly, her hands immediately stilled.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"It's too much. Too dangerous." He wanted to drag his chin along hers, to brush his scent onto her, not just her suit. While others wouldn't consciously notice it, it would send a subtle message that she was under his protection. That he was her cat to command.

"Dangerous?" she asked, curious. "It's just cuddles."

"Nngh," he groaned. "I want to scent mark you again, like I did that one time." It was only because they'd talked so much about their kwami-induced traits that he could even speak of it. She'd insisted on as much honesty as their positions allowed. He'd be embarrassed later, but it was worth it to have clear communication (something they'd learned the hard way).

She was quiet for a moment, and he assumed she was just letting him calm down until she said. "I don't mind." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "The only reason it bothered me last time was that it wasn't your choice." Her hand lifted from his back to lightly tap his nose. "It tickled and was kind of sweet."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his hands fisted as he struggled to keep his cat nature from overwhelming him.

"You need to let your cat out sometime, Kitty, and if you don't do it with me, it may happen at a less idea time," she said. "Trust me. I **know** this."

That was all the encouragement it took, though it definitely helped that she giggled as he rubbed his jaw against every scrap of bare skin, and hair, he could find. Her hand was massaging his scalp again, and while the whole thing was really weird, it just made him happy.

Later, she gave him a tight hug before they parted. "I'm always here for you."

"I know," he murmured into her hair. "Thank you, so much. I'd say you don't know what this means to me, but you do. And I'm forever grateful." He stepped back and gazed down at her, content and at peace despite his earlier fight with his father. She looked up at him and he felt his eyes close tightly before fluttering open again. He froze, on the verge of panic, but it vanished like a puff of perfume on the breeze when she slow blinked back.

* * *

Adrien slid his things onto the table he shared with Marinette and dropped to his seat with a sigh. His father had him in dusk and dawn shoots both days of the weekend, and he'd gotten far too little sleep. He also had to pass up time with Ladybug so he could finish up his homework. He was tense and agitated, stuck with a build up of magical cat energy until he found an opportunity to go for a run. Just as he was contemplating skipping lunch in favor of his more urgent need, the feeling vanished. His mind was suddenly clearer and his skin didn't buzz unpleasantly.

"Oh dear," Marinette said, tossing herself into the seat beside him. "You look exhausted." She peered into his face. "Not tired though, so I guess you're sleeping okay."

"Good morning, Marinette," he said, feeling happy. "I'm just feeling overworked, is all."

She frowned. "Did you even have a day off this weekend?" Though her words were phrased as a question, she clearly didn't expect an answer. "I'm sorry, that's not fair to you."

Her hand settled over his, feeling far more familiar than it had any right to. Sure, they were friends, and casual touches were totally a thing, but this was different. "Thanks." He took a slow deep breath through his nose, his heart kicking into a gallop the moment he smelled it. Or rather, himself on her.

"Adrien?" She leaned in, concern evident on her face. "Hey, you're zoning out on me."

A lazy smile spread itself over his face. "Sorry. Got a bit distracted. You smell lovely by the way."

Her forehead wrinkled up and she sniffed at her shirt.

"You won't be able to smell it," he said quietly, dragging one finger along her jawbone. That got her attention, and her head snapped up so she could meet his eyes. He let his close slowly, squeezing them shut for a moment before opening them again.

Her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open into an adorable little O. But then, just as intentionally as he'd done it, Marinette slow-blinked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes this particular story. At least for now. Just two more WIP-Completion Projects to go!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to stop by and say hi to me over on [Tumblr.](http://freedom-shamrock.tumblr.com/)


End file.
